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Hosting the Fleadh in Belfast provides a valuable opportunity for local businesses to engage with a large and diverse audience. With over 800,000 people expected, hospitality, retail and service sectors can expect increased demand before, during and after the event.
Preparing for higher customer volumes is essential. Think ahead about staffing, stock levels and payment systems for a smoother experience for customers and your business.
To maximise the opportunity, businesses can consider extending their opening hours where appropriate, as well as adapting their offer to reflect the event. This could include themed menus, window displays, or highlighting locally produced goods.
All businesses should also make sure they follow our guidance on licensing, hygiene and waste management during the event.
Food and drink traders will showcase their flavours to thousands of event attendees at the Food village in the grounds of St Anne’s Cathedral from 2 to 9 August.
You can apply to trade at this market, managed by Marketplace Europe.
There are many ways for brands and organisations to gain exposure and support Fleadh Belfast. We welcome expressions of interest from potential sponsors and partners who would like to be part of this landmark event.
If you are interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected].
View our tender opportunities to find out more about our call for sponsorship
Following a public consultation, we agreed to designate the Belfast City Council area as a holiday resort on Sunday 2 August and Sunday 9 August, during the Fleadh. This means large stores can open at 11am on those days, so everyone can shop earlier and for longer.
To help the tourism and hospitality sector prepare for the Fleadh, we’ve launched a Fleadh 2026 practical support guide for businesses.
Our guide includes:
To download the guide, go to Tourism NI (link opens in new window).
We provided opportunities for traders to apply for a temporary street trading licence during the Fleadh for three designated streets within the proposed pedestrianised area in Belfast city centre. We are no longer accepting applications for this scheme.
We can also advise on other temporary street trading opportunities too, for both existing business premises and outside of the proposed pedestrianised area.
We issue licences for pavement cafés in Belfast. A pavement café licence authorises a business supplying food or drink (in or from premises) to place furniture on a public area for use by customers. Read more about pavement café licences.
We also issue entertainment licences. If you’re making plans for your premises, contact our licensing team about your options by emailing [email protected].
St George’s Market will be open, with extended opening hours from:
There will be additional space for traders in neighbouring Verner Street from 10am to 10pm on Thursday 6 August to Sunday 9 August.
We offered stalls to our existing St George's Market traders first and we expect to allocate most stalls in this way. We will advertise details of any remaining available places on our social media channels.
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